Oil strainer



Nov. 18, 1930. R. c. HOPKINS 1,781,874

OIL STRAINER Filed Nov. 2, 1928 Patented Nov. 18 1930 r V ROBERT 0. Hopkins, orrnnmnnononrof :QIL s rruinvna Application filed November 2, 1928. Serial No. 316,776,

The invention relates to valve type oil' strainer especially adapted for use in the oil lines in shops, factories and the likewhere fuel Oll is burned 1n furnaces orkilns.

sludge and heavy settlings of the oil through the usual needle valve which controls the flow to the 'burner5 these heavy settlings and sludge 16 frequently plugging up the needle valve,

1 Oil-mills and sludge grinders have been produced by applicant forgrinding up these heavy settlings and sludge to overcome the" plugging up of the needle valves but there are I many installations wherethe user does not want to go to theextralexpense of'providing an oil mill or sludge grinder in the line.

The object ofthe present improvement is to provide a simple and inexpensiveioil strainerarranged to beconnectedin the line in front of the regulating valve for the purpose of straining thefsludge and heavy settlings from the oil before they reach the needle valve, thus preventingclogging oft he.

valve and providing for a continuous uniform flow of oil to the burner.

The above and other objectsinay be at-' tainedby providing a housing having inlet and outletconnections at opposite sides thereof and a sludge chamber and drain'cock in its lower portion, disk valve witha pe' ripheral cutting edge, normally seating upon a fiat-valve seat, intermediate the inlet and outlet connections, by means of a spring or the like andarranged' to be raised'by the pressure of the incoming oil, sufiiciently to permit the oil to pass between the cutting edge of the valve and the valve seat;

This opening of the valve is so slight that the eifectis to strain the oil as it passesbetween the cutting edge of the valve and the valve seat, the heavy settlings and'sludge settling to the bottom of thesludge chamber where they may be removed from time to time through the drain cock.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which I Figure 1 is a plan view of the improved oil strainer; and

" throughout the drawing; In the burning of fuel oil considerable difficulty has been experienced in 'fiowingthe F 1g, 2, a vertical longitudinal sectlon through the same. V 2

S1m1lar numerals refer to slnnlar parts The device includes a housing 10, refer ably having -the"downwardly tapered sludge chamber;11- forined therein and terminating,

in adep'ending internally threaded neck 12' into which is screwed the threadednipple 13 of a drain cook 14 of any usual construction. a V 7 An internally threaded inlet neck 15 is formed atone side of the housing for connection of the inlet pipe"16--leading'from a pump or other source'oftuel oil' under .pressure and a-similar outlet neck 17 is formed at the opposite" side of thehousing for con-f nection' ofthe 'outletfpipe '18 byineans of which the oil is'conveyedfrom'thestrainer to aburner provided with any usual form "of regulating valve "type." a V Anannular. flat valve seat 19 is" formed in the housing intermediate the inlet andoutval ve, ordinarily of the needlelet necks and so arranged'that all of the oil passingfrom the inlet to the outletof the housing must pass'upward through the cen tral opening 20 within the valve'sea't which has an area in cross section many times the area of the inlet pipe 16. V I

' The upper side ofth'e housing maybe provided with the internally threadedannular boss 21 within which is screwedthe depending threaded flange 22 of the cover, or top 23.,-

This cover is provided at its upper end with the neck 24: within which is slidably vmounted the upper end portion of the valve stem 25, the lowerportion thereof beingslid- I able within the crossbar 26 tormed inthe housing.

h y grally formed upon the valve stem and: is in the form of a disk'having an area slightly greatertlianthe area oftheopening 20, and having the depending' annular flange 28 preferablybf cross sectionalfV-shape and terminating in 'thecutting edge 29 adapted to restupon the fiat valve seat 19. "it

p e alve 27 is rigidly mounted or inte This cutting edge of the disk valve is nor mally held in contact withthe valve. sea tas' by means of the coil spring 30 located around the upper portion of the valve stem and interposed between the valve disk and the upper wall 31 of the cover 23. The neck 24: of the cover may be externally threaded to receive the internally threaded cap 32 for normally enclosing the structure.

In the operation of'the device, oil enters from the inlet pipe 16, under pressure of a pump or the like, and passes into the interior of the housing. The only way in which the oil can pass out of the housing and flowto the burner is by setting up a pressure under the disk valve sufiicient to raise the same from 5 its seat, permitting a flow of oil between the cutting edge of the valve and the valve seat. The oil that passes through this valve is discharged through the outlet pipe 18, passing through the usual regulating valve to the burner. i i

The opening of the disk valve, by the oil pressure underneath the same, is so slight thatthe effect is to strain the oil, as it passes between the cutting edge of the valve and the valve seat, the heavy settlings and sludge which cannot pass through the valve settling to the bottom of the sludge chamber. where ey, may be emo ed om time to me through the drain cock.

It should be noted that the valve has a selfcleaning feature in that When the valve might become clogged or plugged by a great many heavy settlings or sludge, thepressure of oil from beneath will be suflicient to raise the valve a trifle higher, allowing particles of heavy matter to pass therethrough,

Although this may cause temporary inconvenience at the burner, thesame will not last for any considerable length of time but is soon over and immediately when the heavy particlesare released, the valve will return to a normal operative positiomstrainingthe oil as above described. 7

It should be understood that the valve seat must be ground in so that there is a perfectly tight fit with the valve around the entire cutting edge, thus providing for uniform straining of all oil passing through the device.

I claim:

4 1. An oil strainer including a housing hav' ing inlet and outlet openings, a valve seat between the inlet and outlet openings and having a central opening many times larger than the area of the inlet opening forming the only communication between the inlet and outlet, a spring pressed disk valve having a cutting edge normally seated upon the valveseat and adapted to be raised a predetermined distance by pressure of the incoming oilso as 'to'permit passage of the oil betweenthe cutting edge and valve seat and prevent passage of sludgein the oil, and a sludge chamber beneath the valve seat. i

2. An oil strainer including .a housing having an annular valve seat'therein located a horizontal plane, an oil inlet communicating with the housing beneath the valve seat, an oil outlet communicating with the housing above the valve seat, there being a valve opening forming a communication between the inlet and outlet openings within the valve seat, said valve opening having an area in cross-section many times the area of the inlet opening, a disk valve having an area slightly greater than the valve opening above the valve seat provided with a depending annnlar cutting edge normally seated on the valve seat, and spring means for normally holding the valve seated on the seat, the pressure oi the spring means being correlated to v the oil pressure in the line whereby oil under pressure entering the inlet opening will slightly raise the valve to provide a slight annular opening between the cutting edge and valve seat for permitting the passage of oil therethrough but preventing the passage of heavy-settlings and sludge contained in the oil.

. 3. oil strainer including a housing having an annular'valve seat therein located in ahori'zontalplane, anoil inlet communicati ng with the housing beneath the valve seat, an oil outlet communicating with the housabove the valve seat, there being a valve opemng forming a communication between the inlet and outletopenings within the valve seat, said valve opening having an area in cross section many tunes the area of the inlet opening, a disk valve having an area slightly greater than the valve opening above the valvelseat provided with a dependingannular 'Vesha'p'ed cutting edge normally seated on the valve seat, and Spring means tor normally holding the valve seated on the seat, the pressure of the spring means being correlated to the oil pressure in the line whereby oil under preSSh re'enteringthe inlet opening slightly raise the valve toprovide a slight annular opening between the cutting edge and, valve seat for permitting the passageot oil therethrough'but preventing the passage of heavy settlings and sludge'contain'edin't-he oil. s v

"In testimony that I claim the above, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

ROBERT C. HOPKINS. 

